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Author Daddis, Gregory A., 1967-

Title Westmoreland's war : reassessing American strategy in Vietnam / by Gregory A. Daddis.

Publication Info. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, [2014]
©2014

Copies

Location Call No. OPAC Message Status
 Axe 2nd Floor Stacks  959.70434 W528Bd 2014    ---  Available
1 copy being processed for Axe Acquisitions Order.
Description xxv, 250 pages : illustrations, map ; 25 cm
text rdacontent
unmediated rdamedia
volume rdacarrier
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary "General William C. Westmoreland has long been derided for his failed strategy of "attrition" in the Vietnam War. Historians have argued that Westmoreland's strategy placed a premium on high "body counts" through a "big unit war" that relied almost solely on search and destroy missions. Many believe the U.S. Army failed in Vietnam because of Westmoreland's misguided and narrow strategy. In a groundbreaking reassessment of American military strategy in Vietnam, Gregory Daddis overturns conventional wisdom and shows how Westmoreland did indeed develop a comprehensive campaign which included counterinsurgency, civic action, and the importance of gaining political support from the South Vietnamese population. Exploring the realities of a large, yet not wholly unconventional environment, Daddis reinterprets the complex political and military battlefields of Vietnam. Without searching for blame, he analyzes how American civil and military leaders developed strategy and how Westmoreland attempted to implement a sweeping strategic vision. Westmoreland's War is a landmark reinterpretation of one of America's most divisive wars, outlining the multiple, interconnected aspects of American military strategy in Vietnam-combat operations, pacification, nation building, and the training of the South Vietnamese armed forces. Daddis offers a critical reassessment of one of the defining moments in American history"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents Introduction: A Word on War and Strategy -- Conceiving Strategy for the Cold War Era -- From Advice to Support to War -- The Myth of Attrition in Vietnam -- On Bewildering Battlefields: Implementing Westmoreland's Strategy -- The Parallel War -- Training an Uncertain Army -- Conclusion: When Strategy May Not Matter.
Subject Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Campaigns.
Westmoreland, William C. (William Childs), 1914-2005 -- Military leadership.
Westmoreland, William C., 1914-2005. (DE-588)119059002
USA. (DE-588)4078704-7
Westmoreland, William C. (William Childs), 1914-2005. (OCoLC)fst00006661
Vietnam War (1961-1975) (OCoLC)fst01431664
Military campaigns. (OCoLC)fst01710190
Military leadership. (OCoLC)fst01185276
Chronological Term 1961 - 1975
ISBN 9780199316502 (hardback)
0199316503 (hardback)

 
    
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